The Puppet Masters

The Puppet Masters. Robert A. Heinlein. 1951. Del Rey. 340 pages.

Were they truly intelligent? By themselves, that is? I don't know and I don't know how we can ever find out. I'm not a lab man; I'm an operator. 

I honestly don't know which Heinlein is my favorite, but it would definitely be either The Puppet Masters or The Door Into Summer. At least of the ones I've read so far. The Door Into Summer is about cold sleep and time travel. The Puppet Masters is about an alien invasion--where the aliens are parasites that take on human hosts. Both books are good--really, really good. Though if you hate science fiction, I doubt either would change your mind. (Connie Willis might change your mind though!)

So. The Puppet Masters is a novel that I think you should definitely try. I am SO SO glad I bought myself a copy.

The narrator of The Puppet Masters is an agent named "Sam." (His real name is revealed, but most people do call him Sam, so that's what I'll call him too.) When the novel opens, he's getting a new assignment. He'll be working with two other agents--his Old Man, and his "sister" "Mary" (that's not her real name either) to investigate the landing of a flying saucer in a small town in Iowa. What they discover changes everything...but it may take some convincing to be believed.

Read The Puppet Masters

• If you're a fan of classic or vintage science fiction
• If you're a fan of alien-invasion novels
• If you're a fan of Robert Heinlein
• If you like reading about how different authors have envisioned the future. (The novel is set in 2007, I believe).

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Door Into Summer

The Door Into Summer. Robert A. Heinlein. 1957. Del Rey. 300 pages.

One winter shortly before the Six Weeks War my tomcat, Petronius the Arbiter, and I lived in an old farmhouse in Connecticut.

There were many, many things I really just loved about this science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. I loved the opening--the first few pages--which introduce the concept of a "door into summer." If you like/love cats, I think you'll appreciate it!

While still a kitten, all fluff and buzzes, Pete had worked out a simple philosophy. I was in charge of quarters, rations, and weather; he was in charge of everything else. But he held me especially responsible for weather. (2)

I found it interesting to see TWO visions of the future. Written in 1957, Robert Heinlein has primarily imagined two years: 1970 and 2001.

The hero of The Door Into Summer, Daniel Boone Davis, is an engineer who is down on his luck. He has been cheated in love and business. And it's the business loss that seems most traumatic. He wants justice; he wants revenge. But at the same time he just wants to escape the mess his life has become. So which does he want more? To escape the pain and stress and confusion of his current life, he considers entering the cold sleep. (In fact, he completes the paperwork.) Thirty years may be just long enough to sleep. The world will have to be better in 2000 than it is in 1970, right? But the choice of revenge or escape may be taken out of his hands--after an encounter with the two people who did him wrong. (He's having second thoughts at the time.)

When D.B. Davis wakes up in December 2000, he learns just how much has changed...some of these changes are good. But there are a couple of things that just don't make sense. Things that don't have any easy answers...unless time travel IS possible.

The Door Into Summer is an interesting read with a fun premise. I definitely enjoyed it. I think it may be one of my favorite Heinlein novels so far.

Read The Door Into Summer

• If you are a fan of science fiction with a particular interest in vintage or classic science fiction
• If you are a fan of Robert Heinlein, or if you're looking for a good introduction to Robert Heinlein
• If you enjoy reading about how different people envisioned the future
• If you are a fan of time travel
• If you like cats
• If you don't mind slightly creepy 'romantic' endings

Have you read this one?! What did you think? What did you think of the ending? Of the "romance" in this one? Did you find it merely slightly creepy or is it very creepy?


© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Double Star

Double Star. Robert A. Heinlein. 1956. Del Rey. 245 pages.

If a man walks in dressed like a hick and acting as if he owned the place, he's a spaceman. It is a logical necessity. His profession makes him feel like boss of all creation; when he sets foot dirtside he is slumming among the peasants. As for his sartorial inelegance, a man who is in uniform nine-tenths of the time and is more used to deep space than to civilization can hardly be expected to know how to dress properly. He is a sucker for the alleged tailors who swarm around every spaceport peddling "ground outfits."

"The Great Lorenzo" has been hired to impersonate a prominent politician--a Mr. John Joseph Bonforte. This job will take him to Mars and beyond. When he accepts the job, he doesn't really know all the facts. He doesn't know what the job will require--beyond an impersonation at a public/social event. And he doesn't know how long the job will last. He hopes not too long, since he doesn't really like politics, and he doesn't really like the political viewpoints of the person he'll be playing. Even if he asked before leaving Earth, I doubt he'd been told the truth.

So. I'm not quite sure what to think of Double Star. On the one hand, it was relatively clean. (I stopped reading the last two Heinlein novels I picked up from the library because they were, well, perhaps Vir says it best: "That's...that's quite all right, I get the idea. I don't really need to know more than you've told me. In fact, I wouldn't have been upset to know less." The titles of those two were Friday and I Will Fear No Evil.)

And Double Star wasn't exactly boring...it just wasn't thrilling. It was one of those books were the beginning is better than the middle and the end. I'm not sure if that's because of my expectations or his writing. (Is it wrong for me to expect science fiction novels to have developed characters?)

Read Double Star

• If you're a fan of Robert A. Heinlein
• If you're a fan of vintage science fiction
• If you're interested in reading Hugo winners
• If you're interested in politics
• If you're interested in space travel

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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January Reflections

I read 54 books in January 2012!!! True, 17 of them were picture books or board books. But I'm still happy with that number. And not just because of the number. But because of how amazing most of these books are! There were so many books I loved this month. Usually, I finish a month and there are about three to five titles that top my list, that are obvious favorites. That number is much, much higher this month.


My favorite middle grade historical: A Diamond in the Desert. Kathryn Fitzmaurice.
My favorite young adult historical:  My Family for the War. Anne C. Voorhoeve.
My favorite young adult romance:  The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Jennifer E. Smith.
My favorite young adult science fiction novel: The Pledge. Kimberly Derting.
My favorite adult science fiction novel based on a television show: Babylon 5: Legions of Fire: The Long Night of Centauri Prime. Peter David.
My favorite adult science fiction novel with time travel: To Say Nothing of the Dog. Connie Willis.
My favorite nonfiction: Born and Bred in the Great Depression. Jonah Winter.

My favorite poetry: Every Thing On It. Shel Silverstein.
My favorite board book: You Are My Cupcake. Joyce Wan.
My favorite picture book: A Boy Called Dickens. Deborah Hopkinson.
My favorite short story from a short story collection: "Fire Watch" from Firewatch. Connie Willis.
My favorite animal fantasy:  The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale. Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright.
My favorite book in translation:  All Our Worldly Goods. Irene Nemirovsky.
My favorite Christian nonfiction: Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church. Michael Horton.
My favorite Christian fiction: The Healer's Apprentice. Melanie Dickerson.

Board Books, Picture Books, Early Readers 

1. A Boy Called Dickens. Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by John Hendrix. 2012. Random House. 40 pages.
2. I Want My Hat Back. Jon Klassen. 2011. Candlewick Press. 40 pages.
3. Chilly Milly Moo. Fiona Ross. 2011. Candlewick. 32 pages.
4. My Rhinoceros by Jon Agee. 2011. Scholastic. 32 pages.
5. You Are My Cupcake. Joyce Wan. 2011. Scholastic. 14 pages.
6. Cupcake Surprise (BOB Books/Level 1) Lynn Maslen Kertell. Illustrated by Sue Hendra. 2012. (February 2012) Scholastic. 32 pages.
7. Yawn. Sally Symes. Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. 2011. (December 2011) Candlewick Press. 24 pages.
8. Noodle Loves Bedtime. Nosy Crow. Illustrated by Marion Billet. 2011. (September 2011). Candlewick Press. 10 pages.
9. Good Night, I Love You. Caroline Jayne Church. 2012. Scholastic. 20 pages.
10. The Things I Love About Bedtime. Trace Moroney. 2012. Scholastic. 16 pages.
11. Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite. Anna Harwell Celenza. Illustrated by Don Tate. 2011. Charlesbridge.  32 pages.
12. And The Soldiers Sang. J. Patrick Lewis. Illustrated by Gary Kelley. 2011. Creative Editions. 32 pages.
13. What Can I Hear? Annie Kubler. 2011. Child's Play. 12 pages. 
14. What Can I Taste? Annie Kubler. 2011. Child's Play. 12 pages.
15. What Can I Feel? Annie Kubler. 2011. Child's Play. 12 pages.
16. What Can I See? Annie Kubler. 2011. Child's Play. 12 pages.
17. What Can I Smell? Annie Kubler. 2011. Child's Play. 12 pages.

Middle Grade and Young Adult Novels:

1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Jennifer E. Smith. 2012. Little, Brown. 236 pages.
2. My Family for the War. Anne C. Voorhoeve. Translated by Tammi Reichel. 2012. February 2012. Penguin. 412 pages.   
3. A Diamond in the Desert. Kathryn Fitzmaurice. 2012. February 2012. Penguin. 256 pages.
4. The Pledge. Kimberly Derting. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 336 pages.
5. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale. Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright. Illustrated by Barry Moser. 2011. Peachtree Publishers. 228 pages. 
6. The Fault In Our Stars. John Green. 2012. Penguin. 336 pages.
7. How To Save a Life. Sara Zarr. 2011. Little, Brown. 342 pages.
8. A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2). Beth Revis. 2012. Penguin. 400 pages.
9. Ashfall. Mike Mullin. 2011. Tanglewood. 476 pages.  
10. The Predicteds. Christine Seifert. 2011. Sourcebooks. 352 pages.
11. Scored. Lauren McLaughlin. 2011. Random House. 230 pages.
12. My Brother's Shadow. Monika Schroder. 2011. FSG. 224 pages.

Adult Books

1. All Our Worldly Goods. Irene Nemirovsky. 1947/2008. Vintage Books. Translated from the French by Sandra Smith. (French title: Les Biens de ce Monde.) 265 pages.
2. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire: The Long Night of Centauri Prime. Peter David. 1999.
3. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire: Armies of Light and Dark. Peter David. 2000. Del Rey. 255 pages.
4. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire: Out of the Darkness. Peter David. 2000. Del Rey. 266 pages.
5. Babylon 5: In the Beginning. Peter David. 1998. Random House (Del Rey). 260 pages.
6. (Babylon 5) The Shadow Within. Jeanne Cavelos. 1997. Random House (Dell) 260 pages.
7. To Dream in the City of Sorrows. (Babylon 5: Book #9). Kathryn M. Drennan. Based on the series by J. Michael Straczynski. 1997. Random House. 352 pages.
8. Shadows in Flight. Orson Scott Card. 2012. TOR. 240 pages.
9. Firewatch. Connie Willis. 1985. Bantam Books. 271 pages.
10. To Say Nothing of the Dog. Connie Willis. 1998. Bantam (Random House). 495 pages.
11. Blackout. Connie Willis. 2010. Random House. 495 pages.
12. All Clear. Connie Willis. 2010. Random House. 645 pages.
13. Death at Wentwater Court. Carola Dunn. 1994. Kensington. 254 pages.
14. David Copperfield. Charles Dickens. 1850. 877 pages.

Nonfiction

1. Charles Dickens: England's Most Captivating Storyteller. Catherine Wells-Cole. 2011. Candlewick. 32 pages.   
2. Born and Bred in the Great Depression. Jonah Winter. Illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root. 2011. Random House. 40 pages.
3. In the Garden of Beasts. Erik Larson. 2011. Crown. 464 pages.

Poetry

1. Every Thing On It. Shel Silverstein. 2011. HarperCollins. 208 pages. 

Christian Fiction and Nonfiction:

1. The Healer's Apprentice. Melanie Dickerson. 2010. Zondervan. 272 pages.
2. Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church. Michael Horton. 2008. Baker Publishing. 272 pages.
3. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus. Kyle Idleman. 2011. Zondervan. 224 pages.
4. His Steadfast Love. Golden Keyes Parson. 2011. Thomas Nelson. 336 pages.
5. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. Julie Klassen. 2012. Bethany House. 416 pages. 
6. The Accidental Bride. Denise Hunter. 2012. January 2012. Thomas Nelson. 304 pages.
7. The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments. Marty Machowski. 2011. Illustrated by A.E. Macha. New Growth Press. 328 pages.

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) (YA)

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2). Beth Revis. 2012. Penguin. 400 pages.

"This isn't going to be easy," I mutter, staring at the solid metal door that leads to the Engine Room on the Shipper Level of Godspeed.

A Million Suns is the sequel to Beth Revis' Across the Universe. It is narrated by Elder, the 'leader' of the space ship, Godspeed, and Amy, a young woman awakened too early from her frozen sleep. In this novel, Elder struggles with leading a ship; he discovers that it isn't easy to lead people who aren't drugged, that people have ideas of their own, that some people will do anything and everything to stir up trouble for him. Amy has struggles of her own. She misses her parents. She fears that the ship will never reach its destination and that she'll never see them again. She even thinks about disobeying Elder and awakening them before they arrive. But something always stops her from direct rebellion. She also struggles with something that almost happened in Across the Universe. She's still keeping that secret from Elder because she doesn't quite trust him not to abuse his power. And, as you might expect, she struggles with her feelings for Elder. Does she or doesn't she like him like that? Is she attracted to him because he's the only boy her own age who doesn't think she's a freak? Or would she still choose to be with him if there were dozens, hundreds, thousands of other guys to choose from?

A Million Suns is a compelling read. It definitely offers reader a mystery to solve. I recommend that you don't read too many reviews of this one or you might just guess too much. I happened to guess the big-big mystery of this one. I even guessed some of the smaller mysteries. And so it didn't offer me many surprises. I think if I'd not guessed, if everything had remained a mystery for a little bit longer, then I would have enjoyed this one just a little bit more.

While I'm not sure A Million Suns is a novel that will stay with me, it was a very good way to spend an afternoon. In some ways it reminded me of all the reasons I love to read science fiction. So even though I don't find this title the most amazing book I've ever read, I am glad to have read it.

Read A Million Suns

• If you're a fan of science fiction, particularly if you like novels set in space on colony ships
• If you're a fan of Across the Universe
• If you're looking for science fiction with a little romance and a lot of drama

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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